Half-Century Later, 76ers Again Pursue the Warriors’ Path

The Golden State Warriors never lose and the Philadelphia 76ers never win. Two original N.B.A. franchises linked forever when one took the place of the other in Philadelphia, they now represent the polar opposites of where a team can be in its development.

Since the Warriors left Philadelphia in 1962, and the Syracuse Nationals were sold and relocated there as the 76ers in 1963, the franchises have been on roller coasters of success and failure, with the 76ers generally the better team. But the pendulum swung Golden State’s way a few seasons ago, and it has been taken to extremes this season with the Warriors entering the weekend 10-0 and the 76ers 0-9. And neither team seems to be able to attribute its record to luck. The Warriors really have been that good while the 76ers have been that bad.

The defending champion Warriors keep finding ways to become even more dominant. Last season’s championship rotation of players returned nearly intact, and they have somehow increased the pace of their play while becoming even more efficient on offense and defense. Stephen Curry, last season’s most valuable player, has also taken on a greater role, with his 33.3 points a game through 10 games nearly 10 points more than the 23.8 he scored last year.

Curry’s numbers only partly capture the story of his dominance. In his record-breaking season last year, when he hit 286 3-pointers, he had 31 through 10 games; this season he had 52. But statistics fail to convey the demoralizing effect his play has had on opponents. It seems as if he scores whether or not he is guarded, when he is falling down or when he lacks a clear view of the basket. In total, 53.2 percent of his shots have gone in, with a career-high success rate of 47.3 percent from 3-point range.

On Thursday, the young Minnesota Timberwolves fought back from what had been a 21-point deficit to make things competitive in the fourth quarter, only to have Curry return from a rest to bury a number of big shots on his way to 46 points and a 13-point Warriors victory.

“When you get up on him, he just shoots the ball from farther,” the Timberwolves’ Shabazz Muhammad told reporters after the game. “It looked like he was shooting it from dang near half-court.”

These Warriors were built out of the ruins of what had been a promising team led by Baron Davis nearly a decade ago. In 2006-7, they surprisingly qualified for the playoffs as the No. 8 seed and then toppled the Dallas Mavericks in the first round. The success carried over to the next season, but in 2008-9 the Warriors collapsed to 29-53. That gave them the No. 7 draft pick, Curry, remarkably the fifth guard taken after James Harden, Tyreke Evans, Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn.

Even after landing Curry, the Warriors faced three more seasons of futility as he worked his way through ankle problems and the team rebuilt itself through savvy trades and strong draft picks. Coach Don Nelson gave way to Keith Smart, who was eventually fired in favor of Mark Jackson. Altogether, the Warriors went 114-198 during a four-year rebuilding that by and large produced this year’s team. The Warriors’ pursuit of greatness led to the unusual decision to fire a successful coach out of fear that the team was beginning to stagnate. They went 98-66 in Jackson’s last two seasons, but after a first-round playoff loss in 2013-14, Jackson was replaced by Steve Kerr, who as a rookie coach delivered 67 wins and a championship.

The 76ers appear to have the same drive to be great rather than just good, but they have yet to approach anything resembling mediocrity. Since going from average to outright tanking before the 2013-14 season, they are 37-136. Their leadership has focused on acquiring draft picks, but only Jahlil Okafor, a rookie this season, has come close to delivering on his promise. Joel Embiid, the No. 3 pick in 2014, has yet to play, and Nerlens Noel has shown flashes of brilliance but is still so raw on offense that it is unclear how productive he will ever be.

Only time will tell whether the 76ers are a team assembling the pieces for a dynastic run or one that keeps making bad decisions. But it is worth remembering that the Warriors not only made the right decisions but also had some luck, with Curry’s once-chronic ankle problems apparently fading away.

If the Sixers rise again, they may need similar good fortune. They are currently as far from the top as a team can be. On the other hand, the Warriors, with five more wins in a row, would match the record for most victories to start a season without a loss.

It is a gap that may be as wide as there ever has been between the league’s best and worst teams. And it shows few signs of closing.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page SP3 of the New York edition with the headline: Former Philadelphia Franchise Sets Example for Current One. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe